Celebrating island biodiversity achievements in the Pacific: case studies from the GEFPAS Integrated Island Biodiversity Project

Abstract

Our Pacific island region is rich and diverse in its culture, languages and traditions. Despite this diversity, Pacific peoples have something in common– we belong to the largest ocean on planet Earth, which covers more than 169 million square kilometres, we maintain a strong reliance on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity for sustainable development, for daily livelihoods and for preserving our cultural practices. But perhaps the most important common feature we share is that we are a region of ocean state islands. In 2006, the Island Biodiversity Programme of Work (IBPOW) was adopted at the eighth Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on Biological Diversity to address the uniqueness and fragility of island biodiversity and it provides guidance on priorities for biodiversity management in small island developing states, including the application of ecosystem approaches to management.